“Eagles cornerback Ellis Hobbs remembers the game in which he realized the 2007 New England Patriots were really something – and not something made up.

Hobbs, a starting cornerback with the Patriots who went undefeated in the regular season, recalled New England’s riding an 11-game winning streak when it traveled to Baltimore. On a chilly December Monday night against the steely Ravens defense, nothing went the Patriots’ way and they still found a way to win.

The Eagles‘ sixth game of 2010, against the 4-1 Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, could be that type of game.

The point is not to compare a 3-2 Eagles squad to a team that came within a last-minute touchdown pass in the Super Bowl – one that sailed over Hobbs – from finishing 19-0. But every team faces a crossroads – it could be the first game or the last – when it finds out if it’s going one way or the other. The Falcons may provide that barometer.

An Eagles victory would give them their first quality win and catapult them among the top teams in a for-the-taking NFC. A loss, while not crippling, wouldthem back among middling teams fighting for a playoff berth.

“I think that’s where the great teams and the better teams separate themselves throughout the season,” said Hobbs. “I think this team is definitely capable of that and we’re going to get tested on that level. I mean, in the NFL, the margin is so small.””